Vice President for College Relations

Karen W. Wigginton, Ed.D. Dr. Wigginton is the Vice President for College Relations at Bridgewater College and director of the Zane D. Showker Leadership Institute. She oversees the areas of admissions, financial aid, marketing, media and public relations, as well as the College's alumni magazine and Web site. Prior to joining Bridgewater College in 2003, she was the Vice President for Marketing and Public Relations for Sunnyside Communities, a Virginia-based retirement community with three locations in Virginia. For nearly 12 years, she was director of James Madison University's Small Business Development Center, and taught courses in Entrepreneurship, Small and Family Business Management, and Management. Prior to that she was an instructor at James Madison University where she taught in the Management Department. In 2002, Dr. Wigginton co-authored a textbook, International Management, with David Holt. She has successfully written or co-written more than 15 grants and co-authored articles related to small and family business management. She has been a presenter on topics related to small business and entrepreneurship at local, state and national conferences. In addition, she has co-authored several textbook ancillaries. Dr. Wigginton is a member of the Harrisonburg Rotary Club where she served as president from 1999-2000. She has served on the boards of several organizations in the community as well as a deacon and elder in her church. Currently, she is on the board of directors and president-elect for United Way of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County. In addition, she serves on the local advisory board for Planters Bank in Harrisonburg, the Technology Advisory Council in Harrisonburg, and chairs the Shenandoah Valley Education Consortium of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. Dr. Wigginton received her doctorate from the University of Virginia and earned a Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts from Radford University.